Claire Boyles

About: My husband and I met in the dorms at Colorado State and moved to Greeley about five years ago to live the simple life on a small-scale vegetable and flower farm. These days, I manage the daily farm operations, teach part time at UNC, try to keep our kiddos from growing up too fast, and occasionally, sleep. It's much less simple than I was expecting. I love strong coffee with lots of cream. I take kale chips to potlucks. I write about life on the farm at Little Farm. Growing. And I believe moms need to stick together, online and off.

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I want to begin by saying that I reject, completely, the idea of the juice fast.

I know it's a popular thing right now to spend days and days drinking nothing but green juices. But I am not, at all, recommending that here today.

And neither does my friend Cindy Dallow, a registered dietitian, who added 'unnecessary' to my list of adjectives about juice fasts, which included 'unappetizing' and 'boring.'

However, Cindy agrees with me that adding fresh green juices and smoothies to your daily diet is a good way to eat more fruits and vegetables, which can make you a healthier, happier human. She also recommends adding flax for the omega-3s and cocoa for the nutritional punch. She also pointed out that smoothies can be a great source of protein if you add milk, whey powder, yogurt or nuts.

I often have a green juice or a smoothie for breakfast with a bagel or some toast. It doesn't turn me into a superhero or anything, but I do feel energized. I don't know if the juice is the reason that I didn't get the nasty cold my husband and kids had just before Christmas, but I didn't. It makes me feel virtuous, somehow, even if I end up having meat sauce and cookies for dinner that day (not sure what Cindy would think of that).

Juicers don't have to be expensive, either. I use one I found at a garage sale for $15.

The recipes below include some amounts to give you all an idea, but in real life I don't usually measure anything.

Experimentation is good with juice, but don't end up like my brother, who texted me this summer to tell me that, "Green bean juice tastes just awful."

I mean, yes. I imagine it would. But you can do better! Here are some of my favorite recipes, and some links to others.

Green Juice

In a juicer, add 2-3 cups of spinach, one large apple, 4-5 carrots and a small piece of beet. If you like things a little less sweet, add some lemon or lime. The color is not always appetizing, but it's a nice sweet flavor. Martha Stewart's recipe here.

Carrot Grapefruit Ginger Juice

In a juicer, add 8-10 carrots, one peeled grapefruit and a small piece of ginger. This one has a little kick, so go light on the ginger until you know how much you enjoy that particular flavor.

Fruit and Yogurt Smoothie

In a blender, add one banana, one or two cups of plain yogurt and one to two cups of frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, whatever you like). Add orange juice until the juice covers the other ingredients, blend until combined and serve. This makes enough for the four of us. MindBodyGreen's Juices recipe here.

Claire Boyles is married with two children. Read her Thursdays on Greeley Moms. Also read her personal blog, Little Farm. Growing.

It doesn\'t turn me into a superhero or anything, but I do feel energized.